The present invention relates to a steering column assembly especially for a motor vehicle.
A certain number of steering column assemblies of this type are already known in the state of the art and include a steering column shaft mounted so that it can move in terms of rotation within a column body.
For various reasons connected, for example, with the use of particular guide bearings or the need to allow a certain axial movement of the shaft within the body, some of these assemblies have been equipped with means for temporary axial immobilization of the shaft within the body in order to allow the column assembly to be fitted onto the rest of the structure of the vehicle.
This is necessary in particular to allow correct positioning of the shaft relative to the rest of the steering gear of the vehicle while the assembly operator is connecting the corresponding end of the shaft to the rest of the steering gear of the vehicle.
Various embodiments of these means for temporary axial immobilization have already been proposed.
It is known, for example, that these immobilization means may include an immobilization stub comprising a grip ring at one of its ends and abutment surfaces at the other of its ends, this immobilization stub being engaged in a recess in the body so that the abutment surfaces of the latter extend on either side of a collar fixed to the steering column shaft in order to immobilize the latter within the body for the purpose of fitting this assembly to the vehicle.
Once this assembly has been accomplished, the operator withdraws this immobilization stub or moves it into a non-obstructing position in which it releases the collar and therefore the shaft.
The position of this shaft within the body is thus determined as a function of the structure of the steering gear and of the column assembly.
However, it has been observed that this structure had a certain number of assembly drawbacks in so far as it happens from time to time that the operators handle these column assemblies using the grip ring of the immobilization stub, which could result in the latter being moved into its non-obstructing position and therefore in a lack of immobilization of the shaft within the body while the assembly is being fitted to the vehicle.
It can be understood that this may have extremely severe consequences in so far as the safety of the connection of the shaft to the rest of the steering gear of the vehicle may be compromised.